Improvement in cotton-presses



UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE..

CYRUS J. FAY, OF NORTH LINCOLN, MAINE.

IMPROIVEM ENT IN COTTON-PRESSES.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 10,472, dated January31, 1854.

i'o all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CRYUs J. FAY, of North y Lincoln, in the county ofPenobscot and State of Maine, have invented sundry new and usefulImprovements in Hay, Cider, and lCotton Presses; and I hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description -of the same,reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of thisspecification.

Figure l is an isometrical view of the press;`

apart to allow the straps or ropes with which the material was to besecured to be passed through the spaces between them, the upper plank,which was placed longitudinally, being secured firmly to them for thepurpose' of maintaining them in their places; otherwise they would beliable to be forced together as they descended, and there would be nospace left between them through which to pass the straps. To obviatethis difficulty, and to enable me to use separate planks of small sizewithout thedanger of their crowding together, is the object of myimprovement. This I accomplish by placing guides upon the interior ofthe box of the press, between which guides the follower-planks descend,the guides keeping them constantly the required distance apart. y

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

B is the frame-work of the press; C, the interior boxing of the same.

D are the doors, which are closed while the material is being pressedand opened when it is to be taken from the press. c

E are the vertical cleats upon the inside of the press, between whichare placed the sections F of the follower. These sections are v thuskept separate by the cleats E, and the spaces between them necessary forthepassage of the straps which are to eonne the bale are preserved. Thissectional follower may be easily managed by a boy. If, however, thesections were all secured together by an additional plank, the weightwould be so great that the strength of two men would be re-v quired tomanage it.

Upon the top of the follower rests the pressbeam G, over the ends ofwhich pass the chains H, which are/secured to the shaft I, upon one endof which are secured two ratchet-wheels,v a and a. Upon the latter reststhe retainingpawl b, and by means of the former the shaft I is made torevolve in the following manner:

L is a lever, upon the end of which are two side plates, c o, of theform represented in Figs. 3 and 4.-

d is the operating-dog7 which is pivoted to the lever L at the point x.This lever is placed overthe ratchet-wheel c in such a manner that theside plates, c c', shall pass one upon each side'of the ratchetwheel,into the teeth of which the hook of the dog d engages. 'By depressingthis lever the shaft I is. made to revolve in the direction 'of thearrow, the shaft being prevented from returning when the lever isagainvraised by the pawl b. It is evident that by working this lever'thepressbeam is made to descend. The doors D are secured in a closedposition by the upright bar M, the foot of this -bar passes into amortise in the sill O, and the top under a catch in one of thecross-timbersof the press.

In presses of this description as heretofore constructed, when the barwhich confined the doors was, removed, the latter iiew violently open,tearing off the hinges, and oftentimes injuring those standing by. Toobviate this inconvenience I have hinged my doors at the points ff', andwhen closed they bear against each other at the point e of Fig. 2. Asthis point is far within the line joiningthe points f and f', it isevident that the doors will not be easily forced open. They are,therefore, held closed after the bar M is removed until they arerelieved by the attendants and suffered gradually to open. Upon the endsof the cross-timbers of the doors are tenons m,

which enter mortises in the frame-work of the press, and thus the hingesare relieved from ,g

the strain which would otherwise come upon In testimony whereof I havehereunto set them. signature this 6th day of ApriLvA. D. 1853.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters C. J. FAY. Patent', is-

The use of the slats or guide-strips E, ar- Witnesses: ranged andoperating in the manner substan- JOHN S. GLOW,

tially as set forth. SAM. COOPER.

